The Dust Storm event is available for the next three weeks in The Division 2, and it’s your best chance to get some valuable gear without spending any money.
The event creates a customized situation on the New York map. You have to take down a special batch of Riker enemies to get Storm Keys, which in turn can be used to get Gear Caches. Based on your luck, you can get some truly valuable items from these caches, which also include Prototype sets.
Let’s find out the best way to farm Storm Keys so that you can max out the event and unlock all available rewards.
How to get Storm Keys in The Division 2
The New York map has changed during the Dust Storm event thanks to two types of storms that spawn there. You’ll need to face the Dust Devils, a group of four named “Rikers” that appear randomly with a six‑minute cooldown. Their exact spawn locations vary, but they’re more likely to show up near Territory Control areas, Control Points, etc.
To earn Storm Keys, eliminate the Dust Devils and all named members. The required kill threshold depends on your in‑game difficulty; lower difficulties demand more kills per storm key.
- Normal: 14 kills required
- Hard: 14 kills required
- Challenging: 12 kills required
- Heroic: 10 kills required
After you defeat 48 named enemies from the Dust Devils squad, you’ll encounter Pall and Black Lung. These two bosses have massive health pools and advanced gear. Defeating each guarantees a Storm Key drop.
You may also run into the Scourge Hunter, an elite enemy who appears very rarely. Defeating him yields numerous Strong Keys. (I have not yet encountered him in my runs.)
How to use the Storm Keys in The Division 2
Once you have at least one Storm Key, head to the settlement on the New York map. If you don’t own the expansion, don’t worry. The Lords of New York expansion will be completely free until the duration of this event. You can then access the vendor to exchange the Storm Keys you have. There are three ways to spend them:
- Buy Apparel Caches that provide different cosmetic items.
- Go for Gear Caches that offer plenty of weapons, gear parts, and more.
There is also a community cache where you have to contribute keys to unlock the available rewards. There are some truly terrific items on offer, including the named Lexington. You can always opt for gear caches if you have this weapon in your stock.
Make sure to be on the lookout for hidden caches that are located all over the New York map. You can use our guide to trace their locations, and then open them to get more gear items and other resources.
